It Takes More Than a Little Snow to Make a Polar Patch

Up until this past weekend the answer to the question was easy. Papa needs snow to host a polar patch. We got about 5″ of snow this past weekend (Dec. 8) and now the answer isn’t as easy.

What is Papa’s Polar Patch you ask? In the years when we’ve had enough snow, Papa transforms his pumpkin patch into a bit of a winter wonderland — complete with snow caves (a winter version of the bale mazes), old-fashioned sled rides (see the photo to the left), horse-drawn sleigh rides, an ice pond for slipping and sliding, and sometimes a giant snow hill for short sled rides, climbing and tunneling.

Papa’s big red barn becomes a warming house complete with hot chocolate and warm chocolate chip cookies. There’s even all of the fixin’s for s’mores and a bonfire to prepare them.

Back to the question at hand: will there be a Papa’s Polar Patch this winter? We don’t know yet, and here’s why: if nothing changes, we have enough snow for one day of a polar patch. With all of the foot and sled traffic we’d generate, by the end of the day most of the pumpkin patch-turned-polar patch would be mud — including the parking lot.

The weather forecast is mixed and so here’s the bottom line (which isn’t helpful for our friends who love to have everything planned in advance): please keep an eye on Papa’s website and Facebook page. If we get a major snow fall and it looks promising, we’ll let you know as soon as we decide about opening Papa’s Polar Patch in 2012.

Thanks for your interest, and best wishes for a wonderful holiday season. Merry Christmas!

We Are Grateful for You!

Happy Thanksgiving! We are entering a season of gratitude, and today Papa is mindful of the hundreds (really, it’s over 500) volunteers who made this season’s pumpkin patch a reality. It’s hard to imagine and yet amazingly true. In 2012, we welcomed well over 50,000 guests, and our volunteers from every walk of life made your visit to Papa’s a memorable one.

Papa and the family extend a heartfelt thank you to the teachers, students, doctors, nurses, musicians, dancers, insurance agents, bankers, attorneys, financial advisors, pharmacists, accountants, business owners, firefighters, youth pastors, special olympians, retirees, programmers, mechanics, farmers, electrical linemen, administrative and HR professionals… The list is long and we are grateful for each of your contributions.

Many of these volunteers represent the 49 organizations who have or will soon receive support from Papa’s in 2012. Our goal was to contribute $30,000 this year, and with your help, we were able to far exceed that.

The ad you see here will be in the Sunday, Nov. 25 edition of the Bismarck Tribune. It lists the 49 groups Papa supports in 2012, features some children doing what they do best at Papa’s — remind us all how to enjoy life, and most importantly, says THANK YOU!

Papa’s 2012 Season in Photos

Papa’s Pumpkin Patch is truly blessed with talented people who share their gifts with us. One of those people is talented Bismarck photographer Amy Taborsky. Amy has captured the spirit of Papa’s for the past several years, and she also volunteers her time during the week to assist with the many field trips we have scheduled.

We’ll share some of our favorites from Amy’s 2012 collection over the next several weeks on Papa’s Facebook page. There are some priceless expressions from visitors that truly deserve the perfect caption and we’ll let you offer your ideas. For example, check out the little princess in the background.  What do you suppose she’s thinking right about now?

Another bonus of having Amy photograph Papa’s Pumpkin Patch is her husband, Larry, who happens to be a pilot! The two of them were overhead circling Papa’s on two occasions this fall and captured some wonderful shots of Papa’s “footprint” along the Missouri River. This image is from the north and gives you a bird’s eye view of the marketplace, the many bale mazes and the nature trails. On the left you can see the start of the corn maze, and at the bottom you’ll see the horse-drawn hayride headed back to the patch.

If you’re undecided about how you feel with the first snow on the ground, perhaps a look through a few of these wonderful fall scenes will warm you up for a few minutes!

Here’s one from the pumpkin patch itself. I don’t know about you, but the idea of focusing on a single pumpkin with a handle that’s lying down wouldn’t cross my mind. Still, look what character this pumpkin has amidst all of his “normal” handled friends!

We’ll continue to share Amy’s work on Papa’s website. You can also visit Papa’s photo gallery on Flickr if you need a mental break and want to wander north of Bismarck and stop by Papa’s Pumpkin Patch during the off season!

Sunday, Oct. 21: Papa’s Is Closed for the Season

It’s been a beautiful fall and an amazing season for Papa’s Pumpkin Patch! Michelle San Miguel from KFYR TV captured the joy and the gratitude of our final day — Saturday, Oct. 20 — in this report.

Amazing. There wasn’t a pumpkin to be found by 2 pm Saturday, and by the close of the day there were fewer than 100 squash remaining.

Amazing. Families from across the region stayed at Papa’s all afternoon and into the early evening hours to enjoy the wonderful fall day, spend time playing outdoors and celebrating the season.

Amazing! There’s no question the 30th year for Papa was a banner year. We look forward to the support we will be able to offer nearly 40 charities. THANK YOU for your support of Papa’s Pumpkin Patch!

Saturday, Oct. 20 — Papa’s Final Day for 2012 Is Here!

The last day of the 2012 season at Papa’s Pumpkin Patch is here. Saturday, Oct. 20 is the final day, and it’s more about fun and being outdoors than pumpkins to be sure.

Our 30th year has been an amazing one. We sold out of pumpkins last Sunday and were able to haul another 10,000 pounds of pumpkins in Monday morning. Today, our final day, there aren’t many left. More than just the one in this photo of Pumpkin and Patch but we are certain to sell out again today.

Papa also has some (not much) left for gourds and squash. Also a few straw bales. We are sold out of decorative corn and corn stalk bundles. There are still some gorgeous fall items in the gift store.

So what is there to do at Papa’s today? Well, it’s a Saturday which means the “extras” are open. That includes concessions from Ehrmantraut’s Academy, the zip lines, the sling shots, the monster train ride and Sebastian’s train ride, the pony rides and the horse-drawn hayrides. Each of these activities has a small fee ranging from $1/ride to $4/ride.

The extras are in addition to all of the free activities, including Papa’sville, Touchstone Nature Trail, Log Jam, big bale obstacles, Special Olympics Trebuchet, Pumpkin Cannon, five Bale Mazes, Slide Mountain, the Corn Cribs, the Wee Zip Lines, the Corn Maze, and probably a couple of others we can’t remember right now.

There’s also the great photo opportunities, including the Great Pumpkin’s Chair, Mr. Antique, How Tall This Fall, Billy Bob the Corn Stalk Horse, two barn scenes, Pumpkin and Patch, Papa’s Pumpkin Patch bench and the giant sunflower.

Yep, it might be Papa’s last day but there’s still lots of fun waiting for you and your family. And remember, if you wear your costume to Papa’s today, you’ll get a free pumpkin cookie! We hope you’ll join us!